In the construction of Sheridan’s Hazel McCallion Campus building in Mississauga, efficiency means more than meeting projected timelines. For an institution that has sustainable practices engrained in its core values, this also means constructing with high standards for energy efficiency. When the doors open in the fall of 2016, students will be entering one of the top energy-performing buildings in North America, and will experience Sheridan’s new standard for building construction.

Sheridan’s Integrated Energy and Climate Master Plan (IECMP) has helped frame the decisions made in the design of the campus expansion. The plan was developed over a period of 16 months with a team of staff, faculty, students and an industry partner. The end result was endorsed by Sheridan’s Board of Governors and it includes objectives such as reducing source energy use by 50% by 2020, emitting 60% less greenhouse gas, cultivating a campus-wide energy culture and being a platform for new energy and waste technologies.

“With greater foresight and care during design, our buildings perform better, get smarter and do more for occupants” – Herbert Sinnock

Construction with sustainability in mind is not only an environmentally-responsible practice, but one that makes sense financially and creates high-quality spaces for teaching and learning. By making use of rain water for flushing toilets, and selecting cladding materials that insulate and reflect heat, long-term operational costs will be significantly reduced. The use of radiators and chilled beams rather than fans to cool down a space will help maintain comfortable inside temperatures. “With greater foresight and care during design, our buildings perform better, get smarter and do more for occupants.” says Herbert Sinnock, Sheridan’s Manager of Sustainable Energy Systems at Sheridan.

Mock-up of displays that will be located throughout the building, showing details of building construction and interior architectural features

While some of the energy-saving designs and features won’t be visible to occupants, many will creatively showcase the new building’s innovative capabilities. For example, a real-time display in the building’s core will show how it is reacting to changes in weather, fuel prices, and current level of activity. “While people tend think of buildings as boring, monolithic infrastructure, they are very dynamic.” explains Sinnock. “The occupants of the new building will become aware of it as a living entity and will see how their personal and professional decisions impact the use of energy, water and other finite resources,”

“The occupants of the new building will become aware of it as a living entity and will see how their personal and professional decisions impact the use of energy, water and other finite resources” – Herbert Sinnock

By showing what is possible in energy-efficient design, Sheridan aims to be a leader in Mississauga and beyond for future construction projects. “The building isn’t an island,” says Sinnock. “It is just one piece of the community. We need to think about walkable connections, services, public transit, and ways to engage the community in what we are doing, building and creating.” Similar to other institutional projects and initiatives, the energy plan has positioned Sheridan to be a community and national role model.

Radiant heating and cooling systems that will be installed under the floor

Although the ribbon cutting in 2016 will signal the end of construction, implementing smart energy practices will be an ongoing process. “This project is an opportunity to improve our construction processes, to learn and to see how we can take things further, but it is not a static standard,” says Sinnock. “We’re adopting an attitude in which we will push ourselves to continually improve.”

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Curiosities is the official blog of Sheridan. Why Curiosities? Because we’re deeply interested in looking at education, our communities, our people — and their thought provoking ideas — through a kaleidoscope of different perspectives. Here, you’ll find all things creative, intriguing and noteworthy about the Sheridan community, from people to projects, and from the profound to the peculiar. If you are looking for information related to official school business or notices, or want to find out more about our programs or people, then please visit the Sheridan website

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